Bittersweet Oblivion
by Mantinas
Summary: Set after Orochimaru is killed by Sasuke. What happens to him after that?


Bittersweet Oblivion

Was going to go darker. But I refused. Why bring religion in on this? I own nothing!

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Orochimaru walked through oblivion, not sure how long he walked, whether it was mere meters or miles. Or if he walked in circles. He reflected on his ambitions. How they didn't go according to plan.

Though as he walked he stayed away from the moving thing. It was pitch black that it matched everything around it that he wasn't sure if it was writhing or not.

He saw the blithering man again. A stark-raving man who mumbled to himself. He had a beard and eyes sharpened with insanity. No doubt what will happen to him after awhile. Time had no meaning, but that didn't mean that a person couldn't go insane. It was like that prison in America that had it where the convicts had to stay quiet, and just for noise they'd risk their lives and be punished for it. Some even died by their guards.

'Surely there are others here.' Orochimaru thought. 'We can not be the only ones here, can we?'

But he wouldn't let that bother him too much. He was advanced in all forms of ninjutsu. Able to, with his new arms, perform jutsu again.

"Welcome to hell!" The man shouted. "Population us! Round in circles snakey walks but comes back like boomberang. Snakey will not find anyone here."

Despite his better judgment he talked to the strange man. "Why do you say that?"

"Snakey finally talks to Mercer! My name is Mercer! Mercer! Mercer! Mercer! You will never take it from me like you did the rest!"

"Why do you say that?" Orochimaru asked again. If he had is sword with him he would have used it.

Mercer looked up at Orochimaru with mad eyes. "This place takes away name! Away memory! Time! And then you!"

Orochimaru's eye widened. 'Is what he says true?' He thought.

"Why does snakey walk? Even though this place is large it always brings you back. Back until It swallows you up!"

"What's 'It'?" Orochimaru asked.

"The Darkness!" Mercer screamed. It did not echo. "It consumes us once we are susceptible! And what happens after that is not known to Mercer! Probably oblivion! Nothing! No longer seeing! No longer anything! No god! No kamis! No demons! No angels! Nothing!" He began to breathe heavily.

"We are alone." He said.

Then Orochimaru understood. That shinigami that took his arms was a manifestation of this. There really was nothing.

"Snakey is silent." Mercer said. "Does snakey wish to walk again?"

Orochimaru shook his head.

Mercer laughed. "Snakey wishes to be consumed." He shook his head. "Stupid snakey. He would rather be nothing than fight! He's as girly as his body color!" He could not name what it was. Eyeliner and such.

Orochimaru growled. He did not like it when people made fun of him. 'Mercer will join the others soon if he keeps this up.' He thought.

Mercer laughed. "Mercer heard that!" He stopped laughing. "Mercer heard all of snakey's thoughts. Naughty, naughty, snakey. Making fun of Mercer. Not knowing. So clueless!"

Orochimaru sat down now, facing the crazy man. "What are you keeping from me, Mercer? Snakey wants to know." He was humoring him.

"Why does snakey want to know?" Mercer asked. "Snakey should not know! No one should know!" He then rocked back and forth. "Mercer sees nothing but sees everywhere! Mercer is love but not loved! Mercer is nothing but is everything!"

"Are you god?" Orochimaru asked.

"No!" Mercer shouted. "Mercer is a fighter! Mercer is human! Not god! Does snakey not listen?"

"But you just insinuated that you were." Orochimaru said.

"But Mercer is not!" He shouted. "Mercer is just stronger than everyone else!"

Orochimaru was tired of this man's ravings. He shot his hands out and wrapped his finger's around his neck. Mercer made chocking sounds as Orochimaru tightened his hold.

"Go to your nothing!" Orochimaru shouted, rage filling him.

Mercer laughed. "Do you really think that will help you?" He said. "We're dead! Mercer will never leave snakey!"

"But Snakey(1) wishes you to die!" Orochimaru shouted, not letting go.

"Mercer pities snakey." He shook his head. "Mercer thought poor snakey would want to talk. But Mercer was wrong."

"Snakey does not want your pity!" Orochimaru shouted. "Snakey wishes you never spoke to Snakey!"

Mercer laughed. "Who were your friends in your life?" He asked.

"Snakey had no friends!"

"Lovers?"

"Snakey had only two!"

"What were their names?"

"Snakey does not remember!"

"What about snakey's ambitions?"

"Snakey's only ambition now is to send you to Nothing!"

"Your memory is starting to fade." Mercer said. "Slowly starting to fade. Soon Nothing will take you. Then I'll be all alone again!"

Snakey picked Mercer up. Mercer laughed. "Throw Mercer into the Nothing! It takes! It does not accept thrown scraps!"

"We shall see!" Snakey shouted. He threw Mercer away from him. And then he saw a tendril of black grab Mercer and pulled him into itself. He screamed in terror. That space really was moving.

"Snakey is alone!" He laughed. Letting the moving thing eat his echo.

But before he could celebrate any further. A black tendril wrapped itself around his ankle. "No!" He shouted, flailing and smacking it. "Snakey is finally alone! Finally rid of that man!"

But the black tendril pulled him quickly, letting him slip, and then dragged him towards itself.

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"What happens beyond the veil of death should only be known to the dead."

-Author unknown(Unless you find it and tell me).

1)I hate pointing out the obvious, but that was when Orochimaru forgot his name and called himself by the nickname given to him by Mercer. The time before this when he said it was when he was forgetting, but he still remembered it. He was also humoring Mercer.

Mantineus-Mercer is a character that I made up and am very proud of. I actually hope to use him again, but I doubt I ever will. No one may steal him from me!


End file.
